Recent technical developments for utilizing biomass as an alternative energy source have presented a number of promising opportunities for the forestry industry. Forest biomass generally includes any plant or tree material produced by forest growth. A key challenge in using forest biomass for energy production is getting feedstock harvested, processed, and transported at reasonable costs. Efficient feedstock harvesting methods should ideally match the unique requirements of each source. For example, logging residue collection could be accomplished by integrating biomass processing into a conventional logging operation. Understory biomass and small woody species present special problems that are not readily overcome with existing harvesting methods. A wide range of new technology is currently being developed to address these harvesting challenges.
Current traditional harvesting technology includes the following primary functions: felling, primary transport, processing, and highway transport. Two basic felling methods include manual felling (e.g., chainsaw) and mechanized felling (e.g., feller-buncher, swath cutting). A piece of mechanized felling equipment is typically referred to as a harvester.
Many equipment manufacturers are investigating the prospects of modifying conventional harvesters for cutting and/or gathering forest biomass. An example of work that is being done in the area is described in a paper published by Elseivier Ltd., which is hereby incorporated by reference. Raffaele Spinelli & Emmanuel Cuchet & Phillippe Roux, A new feller-buncher for harvesting energy wood: Results from a European test programme (2006). In addition, specialized harvesting equipment is also being developed for biomass applications. An example of such equipment is described in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2009/0242077 A1, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Most biomass harvesters—whether developed from existing equipment or specialized biomass technology—are limited to the sole functionality of harvesting forest biomass. There is an opportunity to improve current technology by expanding the functionality of biomass harvesting equipment to include the capabilities of traditional harvesters (e.g., tree cutting) in one piece of equipment. Thus, there is a need to develop new systems and methods for biomass harvesting, which combine the functionality of conventional harvesting equipment with equipment suited for the harvesting challenges posed by forest biomass.